Sugar cane is said to be "ripe" for harvesting when the sugar concentration within the cane reaches its peak. Processing facilities at sugar cane mills are naturally limited and very often have to process cane which is not at peak ripeness. It follows, therefore that if peak ripeness in cane sugar could be artificially induced or maintained at its peak for a longer period of time, yields per hectare would be increased and, moreover, it would lead to more efficient use of mill capacity.